Meanwhile, producer Iain MacLeod said on Tuesday, in response to the backlash: 'Kate was out of her mind with grief for Aidan and thinks she’s lost Rana. She came to her senses before going through with it.

'She’s gay, and loves Rana, and can’t believe she nearly let her grief-fueled obsession for a baby almost lead her into betraying who she is and making the biggest mistake of her life.'

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Taking to Twitter in droves, fans were furious to watch scenes play out when Kate tried to sleep with Adam Barlow, as part of her desperate quest to have a baby.

The fallout led to scenes which saw Rana furiously dump Kate after hearing of her secret plot, and many fans branded the episode's conclusion 'inexcusable.'

Shocking: Viewers were appalled by scenes which saw Kate seduce Adam Barlow as part of a desperate attempt to fall pregnant

Outraged: Her plan was only rumbled when Adam realised she was refusing contraception, leading her to run out of his flat in embarassment

In Monday's double bill, fans saw Kate (played by Faye Brookes) reach breaking point in her quest to have a baby, breaking down in tears as she told Rana (Bhavna Limbachia) she wanted a child to fill the space in her life that had been left by her brother Aidan's suicide earlier this year.

After Rana admitted she wasn't ready to be a parent, Kate tried to seduce lawyer Adam (Sam Robertson) in an attempt to fall pregnant.

While she originally kept her true intentions a secret, Adam rumbled Kate's plan when she refused his offer on contraception, leading him to pull away in disgust.

As Kate made an embarrassed exit, she was soon rumbled by Rana's brother Imran, who spotted her kiss with Adam in the middle of the Street.

Furious: When Kate's fiancé Rana discovered she had cheated on her, the nurse proceeded to break off their engagement, dumping her in rage

This led to a furious row with Rana, who decided enough was enough and dumped Kate for being unfaithful.

The storyline led to furious complaints from many viewers who branded the plot everything from 'inexcusable' to 'disgusting.'

One wrote: 'Having a lesbian character who has never once shown attraction to men suddenly seduce and kiss a man is incredibly irresponsible.

'It enforces a homophobic rhetoric that lesbians can be 'fixed' and become heterosexual in the 'right' circumstances. Shame on @itvcorrie.'

A second also furiously tweeted: 'Because of your disgusting scenes tonight I nearly had a panic attack. Yes, a physical reaction your disgusting homophobia.'

Outraged: The storyline led to furious complaints from many viewers who branded the plot everything from 'inexcusable' to 'disgusting'

It remains to be seen how the rest of the storyline will play out, and fans will be left hoping whether Kate and Rana can patch it up in time for the festive season.

The plot comes ahead of next week's hour-long Christmas Special, which will also see Sally Metcalfe's husband Time confess that he slept with Gina, after wrongly being led to believe he cheated on her.

It will be a bittersweet occasion for the Barlows, as they gather for a vegan dinner in honour of Daniel's pregnant wife Sinead, but she is left devastated when she overhears her husband saying he worries this will be her last Christmas, as she continues to battle cervical cancer.

Coronation Street continues on Wednesday 19th December at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV.

Devastated: The contoversial storyline came in scenes after Kate admitted she wanted a baby to fill the space left in her life by her brother Aidan's suicide